If you look up the words “cult classic,” then you will definitely see this ‘80s classic that Steven Spielberg executive produced. Gremlins scared the hell out of a generation of kids whose parents were hoodwinked by a marketing campaign that painted the silly-scarer as a family film.

Ghostbusters

Released: June 7, 1984 (30 Years)

Many moons ago, before there was Will Farrell and his band of merry man-children, guys like Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd were kings of comedy cinema. And in 1984 they starred in a blockbuster comedy-horror-action hybrid that was penned by Aykroyd and Harold Ramis (R.I.P.). Anyone of a certain age can attest to the cultural impact of this film and how its subsequent cartoon series had all of us reciting the famous phrase “I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost.”

The Terminator

Released: Oct. 26, 1984 (30 Years)

Sometimes I think people don’t give the original in the famous franchise enough credit as a standalone film. Seamlessly mixing elements of the horror and action genres, Terminator showed how legitimately GOOD an action film could be and not just “action movie good.” As James Cameron’s career-launching movie, the originator of the 30-year-old franchise (with a new film coming next year) still holds up as a genuinely good movie all these years later.

Nightmare on Elm Street

Released: Nov. 9, 1984 (30 Years)

The film franchise might be a joke today, but back in 1984 Nightmare on Elm Street scared the shit out of a whole generation of teenagers and adults. Introducing the world to the striped sweater malcontent Freddy Krueger, this film terrified you because it put forth the idea that even in your sleep you aren’t safe. And while you can try and be macho about it, that’s still some scary sh*t.

Michael Keaton Batman was my shit. When I was younger, I had a Batman mask from the Warner Brother’s store (the one they used in the movie minus the attached bat symbol) and used to wear that shit everywhere. I even wore it in the shower to simulate rain fall sequences lmao.